| 1. |
- Koch, Kamilla, et al.
(författare)
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Morphological differences in the ovary of Libellulidae (Odonata)
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Odonatology. - Oxford : Taylor & Francis. - 1388-7890 .- 2159-6719. ; 12:1, s. 147-156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- All female Odonata have been assumed to produce oocytes continuously during their mature life span. However, a recent study of ovariole orientation and development led to the suggestion that Libellulidae are divided into two groups of species, one with continuous, the other with stepwise oocyte production. To find more evidence of this division, we compared the size variation and growth within the vitellarium of the ovary, studying oocytes, and follicle cells. We found that morphological characters discriminate between the two ovary types in eight of the 10 investigated species. In both types we found an increase in all measurements from the anterior to the posterior end of the vitellarium. The increase in oocyte width and follicle cell length was significantly higher in species with a continuous oocyte production. We also noted that follicle cells may have more than one nucleus and that their number can vary during vitellogenesis. Our study confirmed the hypotheses that two different ovary types exist in Libellulidae. The two species not fitting into this grouping could be an artefact of small samp le size due to intraspecific phenotypic plasticity, or else there might be more than two ovary groups, or even a continuum. We could not offer an explanation as to how the process of stepwise oocyte production differs from continuous based production on morphological characters.
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| 2. |
- Rest, Joshua S, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular systematics of primary reptilian lineages and the tuatara mitochondrial genome.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. - 1055-7903 .- 1095-9513. ; 29:2, s. 289-97
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We provide phylogenetic analyses for primary Reptilia lineages including, for the first time, Sphenodon punctatus (tuatara) using data from whole mitochondrial genomes. Our analyses firmly support a sister relationship between Sphenodon and Squamata, which includes lizards and snakes. Using Sphenodon as an outgroup for select squamates, we found evidence indicating a sister relationship, among our study taxa, between Serpentes (represented by Dinodon) and Varanidae. Our analyses support monophyly of Archosauria, and a sister relationship between turtles and archosaurs. This latter relationship is congruent with a growing set of morphological and molecular analyses placing turtles within crown Diapsida and recognizing them as secondarily anapsid (lacking a skull fenestration). Inclusion of Sphenodon, as the only surviving member of Sphenodontia (with fossils from the mid-Triassic), helps to fill a sampling gap within previous analyses of reptilian phylogeny. We also report a unique configuration for the mitochondrial genome of Sphenodon, including two tRNA(Lys) copies and an absence of ND5, tRNA(His), and tRNA(Thr) genes.
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| 3. |
- Hallenberg, Nils, 1947, et al.
(författare)
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Pseudolagarobasidium (Basidiomycota): on the reinstatement of a genus of parasitic, saprophytic, and endophytic resupinate fungi
- 2008
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Ingår i: Botany. - 1916-2804. ; 86:11, s. 1319-1325
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The small resupinate genus Pseudolagarobasidium (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) presently comprises less than five species, all of which were described from tropical to subtropical regions, and two of which are root parasites on leguminous trees. The genus has recently been synonymized with Radulodon on morphological grounds, and the present study evaluates this proposal in a molecular context. Pseudolagarobasidium was found to constitute a well supported, monophyletic group excluding Radulodon and this synonymy is rejected. The ecological range of the genus spans saprotrophy to parasitism, and this study presents evidence that at least one lineage in Pseudolagarobasidium is endophytic in the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.). Key words: Polyporales, Radulodon, phylogeny, plant interactions. Résumé: Le Pseudolagarobasidium (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) constitue un genre de petits champignons résupinés qui comporte actuellement cinq espèces, toutes décrites à partir de régions tropicales ou subtropicales, incluant deux espèces parasites des racines d'arbres de la famille des légumineuses. On en a récemment établi la synonymie avec le genre Radulodon sur la base morphologique, mais les auteurs utilisent ici l'approche moléculaire. On constate que le genre Pseudolagarobasidium constitue un groupe monophylétique robuste excluant les Radulodon ce qui conduit au rejet de cette synonymie. L'amplitude écologique du genre va du saprophytisme au parasitisme, et on présente des preuves qu'au moins une lignée est un endophyte du cacaoyer (Theobroma cacao L.). Mots-clés : Polyporales, Radulon, phylogénie, interactions végétales.
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| 4. |
- Irestedt, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Phylogenetic relationships of typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) and test of incongruence based on Bayes factors
- 2004
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Ingår i: BMC Evolutionary Biology. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2148. ; 4:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) form a monophyletic and diverse family of suboscine passerines that inhabit neotropical forests. However, the phylogenetic relationships within this assemblage are poorly understood. Herein, we present a hypothesis of the generic relationships of this group based on Bayesian inference analyses of two nuclear introns and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The level of phylogenetic congruence between the individual genes has been investigated utilizing Bayes factors. We also explore how changes in the substitution models affected the observed incongruence between partitions of our data set.
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| 5. |
- Irestedt, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Phylogenetic relationships of woodcreepers (Aves: Dendrocolaptinae) - incongruence between molecular and morphological data
- 2004
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Ingår i: Journal of Avian Biology. - : Blackwell. - 1600-048X .- 0908-8857. ; 35:3, s. 280-288
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The woodcreepers is a highly specialized lineage within the New World suboscine radiation. Most systematic studies of higher level relationships of this group rely on morphological characters, and few studies utilizing molecular data exist. In this paper, we present a molecular phylogeny of the major lineages of woodcreepers (Aves: Dendrocolaptinae), based on nucleotide sequence data from a nuclear non-coding gene region (myoglobin intron II) and a protein-coding mitochondrial gene (cytochrome b). A good topological agreement between the individual gene trees suggests that the resulting phylogeny reflects the true evolutionary history of woodcreepers well. However, the DNA-based phylogeny conflicts with the results of a parsimony analysis of morphological characters. The topological differences mainly concern the basal branches of the trees. The morphological data places the genus Drymornis in a basal position (mainly supported by characters in the hindlimb), while our data suggests it to be derived among woodcreepers. Unlike most other woodcreepers, Drymornis is ground-adapted, as are the ovenbirds. The observed morphological similarities between Drymornis and the ovenbird outgroup may thus be explained with convergence or with reversal to an ancestral state. This observation raises the question of the use of characters associated with locomotion and feeding in phylogenetic reconstruction based on parsimony.
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| 6. |
- Irestedt, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Systematic relationships and biogeography of the tracheophone suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes)
- 2002
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Ingår i: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. - : Elsevier. - 1055-7903 .- 1095-9513. ; 23:3, s. 499-512
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on their highly specialized “tracheophone” syrinx, the avian families Furnariidae (ovenbirds), Dendrocolaptidae (woodcreepers), Formicariidae (ground antbirds), Thamnophilidae (typical antbirds), Rhinocryptidae (tapaculos), and Conopophagidae (gnateaters) have long been recognized to constitute a monophyletic group of suboscine passerines. However, the monophyly of these families have been contested and their interrelationships are poorly understood, and this constrains the possibilities for interpreting adaptive tendencies in this very diverse group. In this study we present a higher-level phylogeny and classification for the tracheophone birds based on phylogenetic analyses of sequence data obtained from 32 ingroup taxa. Both mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear genes (c-myc, RAG-1, and myoglobin) have been sequenced, and more than 3000 bp were subjected to parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses. The phylogenetic signals in the mitochondrial and nuclear genes were compared and found to be very similar. The results from the analysis of the combined dataset (all genes, but with transitions at third codon positions in the cytochrome b excluded) partly corroborate previous phylogenetic hypotheses, but several novel arrangements were also suggested. Especially interesting is the result that the genus Melanopareia represents a basal branch within the tracheophone group, positioned in the phylogenetic tree well away from the typical tapaculos with which it has been supposed to group. Other novel results include the observation that the ground antbirds are paraphyletic and that Sclerurus is the sister taxon to an ovenbird–woodcreeper clade. Patterns of generic richness within each clade suggest that the early differentiation of feeble-winged forest groups took place south of the Amazon Basin, while the more recent diversification was near the equator and (in tapaculos and ovenbirds) in the south of the continent
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| 7. |
- Anderbrant, Olle, et al.
(författare)
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Release of sex pheromone and its precursors in the pine sawfly Diprion pini (Hym., Diprionidae)
- 2005
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Ingår i: Chemoecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0937-7409 .- 1423-0445. ; 15:3, s. 147-151
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The first identification of a sex pheromone of a pine sawfly (Hymenoptera, Diprionidae) dates back almost thirty years. Since then, female-produced pheromones of over twenty diprionid species have been investigated by solvent extraction followed by separation and identification. However, no study has shown what the females actually release. Collection of airborne compounds using absorbtion on charcoal filter as well as solid phase microextraction (SPME) followed by analysis employing gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), revealed an unusual system in Diprion pini, in which the pheromone precursor alcohol, 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol, is released together with acetic, propionic, butyric and isobutyric acids. The corresponding acetate, propionate and butyrate esters of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol were also found in the samples. All esters were electrophysiologically active, and the propionate and isobutyrate were attractive in trapping experiments. Based on these and earlier reported results, it seems that at least in part of its range, the pheromone response of D. pini is not very specific with regard to the functional group, as long as this is an ester.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Lesch, Christine, et al.
(författare)
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A role for Hemolectin in coagulation and immunity in Drosophila melanogaster
- 2007
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Ingår i: Developmental and Comparative Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0145-305X .- 1879-0089. ; 31:12, s. 1255-1263
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hemolectin has been identified as a candidate clotting factor in Drosophila. We reassessed the domain structure of Hemolectin (Hml) and propose that instead of C-type lectin domains, the two discoidin domains are most likely responsible for the protein's lectin activity. We also tested Hml's role in coagulation and immunity in Drosophila. Here we describe the isolation of a new hml allele in a forward screen for coagulation mutants, and our characterization of this and two other hml alleles, one of which is a functional null. While loss of Hml had strong effects on larval hemolymph coagulation ex vivo, mutant larvae survived wounding. Drosophila thus possesses redundant hemostatic mechanisms. We also found that loss of Hml in immune-handicapped adults rendered them more sensitive to Gram(-) bacteria infection. This demonstrates an immunological role of this clotting protein and reinforces the importance of the clot in insect immunity.
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| 10. |
- Bourlat, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
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Feeding ecology of Xenoturbella bocki (phylum Xenoturbellida) revealed by genetic barcoding
- 2008
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology Resources. - 1755-098X. ; 8, s. 18-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The benthic marine worm Xenoturbella is frequently contaminated with molluscan DNA, which had earlier caused confusion resulting in a suggested bivalve relationship. In order to find the source of the contaminant, we have used molluscan sequences derived from Xenoturbella and compared them to barcodes obtained from several individuals of the nonmicroscopic molluscs sharing the same environment as Xenoturbella. Using cytochrome oxidase 1, we found the contaminating sequences to be 98% similar to the bivalve Ennucula tenuis. Using the highly variable D1-D2 region of the large ribosomal subunit in Xenoturbella, we found three distinct species of contaminating molluscs, one of which is 99% similar to the bivalve Abra nitida, one of the most abundant bivalves in the Gullmarsfjord where Xenoturbella was found, and another 99% similar to the bivalve Nucula sulcata. These data clearly show that Xenoturbella only contains molluscan DNA originating from bivalves living in the same environment, refuting former hypotheses of a bivalve relationship. In addition, these data suggest that Xenoturbella feeds specifically on bivalve prey from multiple species, possibly in the form of eggs and larvae.
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